Cell phone problems return with season

Friday

Aug 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMAug 28, 2009 at 8:13 AM

More teens with cell phones means more time spent using phones at school, which means more time spent enforcing cell phone policies for teachers and administrators. Nearly all local school districts have a separate section in their student handbooks prohibiting any cell phone use during school hours.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen.

“Cell phones are one of my major disciplinary problems,” said Monmouth-Roseville Assistant High School Principal Ken McCance.

CHRIS Z. MOUZAKITIS

School is back in session and the battle lines are drawn.

Rule-makers vs. rule-breakers. Teachers vs. texters.

From 2003 to 2008, the percentage of kids ages 12 to 14 with their own cell phones increased from 21 percent to 58 percent, according to Chicago-based C&R research. Eighty-four percent of teens 15 to 18 now own a cell phone.

More teens with cell phones means more time spent using phones at school, which means more time spent enforcing cell phone policies for teachers and administrators. Nearly all local school districts have a separate section in their student handbooks prohibiting any cell phone use during school hours.

Of course, that doesn’t always happen.

“Cell phones are one of my major disciplinary problems,” said Monmouth-Roseville Assistant High School Principal Ken McCance.

Tom Chiles, principal at Galesburg High School — whose policy calls for its students to keep phones in their lockers or cars during school hours — agreed.

“It’s pretty common for us to confiscate cell phones,” Chiles said.

“I think the policy is good. It keeps students focused on academics. They don’t want their phones to end up in the office,” said Madelyn Ethington, a student-teacher at GHS.

Violators face phone confiscation after their first offense with GHS’s zero-tolerance policy.

Although cell phones are everywhere, actual phone calls aren’t.

“Ninety-five percent of what I see is text messages,” McCance said.

“I primarily use my phone to text,” said Brittany Weeks, a junior at Galesburg High, while texting a friend after school. “I have unlimited texts so it’s cheaper.”

“I don’t have that much of a problem with it in my classes,” said Evan Massey, a social studies teacher at GHS. “But kids are good at being discreet.”

Weeks acknowledges this, saying many of her fellow female students hide their phones in their purses while texting.

Chiles acknowledges the difficulty in enforcing the school’s phones-in-lockers policy. He said, “We’re not going to search a student to see if he has a cell phone in his pocket.”

Lorie Larsen, a nurse at GHS, also doesn’t go out of her way to enforce the school’s cell policy.

Larsen’s main concern as a nurse is that students can communicate with people without the school or parents knowing about it. She gave the example of the student, sick or pretending to be sick, who calls a friend to pick him up from school. With cell phones and text messaging, the school and the parents might not even know who’s picking up the student, which creates a liability issue, Larsen said.

Adopted in recent years at GHS, Chiles acknowledges the zero-tolerance policy is hard to enforce. The stiff penalties should help discourage future use, he said.

“Our main goal is (that students) not have them on their person. Best case scenario is that they don’t even bring them into the building,” Chiles said.

Another local district allows students to use phones during lunch and in the hallways between classes.

“I know sometimes schools try to keep them out completely, but that’s a headache in enforcement,” said AlWood Middle/High School Principal Jay Bizarri. “Most of our students just use them for entertainment anyway.”

Recent studies on the importance of cell phones to teenagers indicate that AlWood’s more lenient policy may better deal with the reality of teen cell usage.

After clothing, a cell phone tells the most about a person’s social status or popularity, according to a 2008 Harris Interactive study of more than 2,000 teenagers.

Weeks acknowledged that she fears having her phone taken away, but can’t imagine that will discourage all students from cell phone use.

“People will keep using them regardless,” she said.

Gatehouse News Source contributed to this article.

Cell Phone Policies

One Texas school district reportedly raised more than $100,000 over two years by charging students a $15 fine for phones confiscated during the school day. Although none here are that strict, rules regarding cell phone usage at local high schools aren’t all equal.

Cell phone policies at selected area public school districts:

• Galesburg District 205: Students are not to have phones on their person during school hours. The high school has a zero tolerance policy; students caught using cell phones on school grounds will have their phones kept in the school’s office until the end of the day.

• Abingdon District 210: Policy different at each school building. High school policy allows students to have phones during lunch, otherwise phones must remain in lockers. Also, teachers throughout the district will be monitoring cell phone usage for the month of September in order to collect data and direct future administrative efforts, said Superintendent Tami Roskamp.

• AlWood District 225: Students are permitted to use phones before and after school, during passing periods, but not at all during class. If a student gets caught during class, the phone is taken to the office. After the first time, the device is given back at the end of the day. Repeat offenders must have their parents claim the phone. “We originally had the parents come in to get the phones after the first time . We backed off that a little bit,” said AlWood Principal Jay Bizarri. “We really don’t have that many problems. A handful of times we’ve had to take phones, but rarely does that happen.”

• Knoxville District 202: Revised this past summer, Knoxville’s policy leaves discipline up to the assistant principal. The policy calls for phones to be turned off during school hours. Off-campus use during lunch is allowed. Students in violation face confiscation of their phones. A first time offense also results in detention. Repeat offenders must have their parents claim the phone. “The big component of the changes is the parents’ involvement,” said Knoxville High School Principal Mike Kemmer, who hopes will deter students from taking out the phones in first place.

• Monmouth-Roseville District 238: “‘See it. Hear it. Take it away,’ is what we follow. If they put the phone their pocket, turn it off, we won’t bother them,” said Assistant High School Principal Ken McCance. Phone use is allowed at lunchtime, he said.

• ROWVA District 208: Phones are required to be off or in students’ lockers. This high school, however, rarely sees repeat offenders of the cell phone policy, said ROWVA High School Principal Joe Peters. “We’re definitely at an advantage versus other districts since we get such a bad reception in our building that the students don’t even bother,” he said.

• Spoon River Valley District 4: Students not allowed to use cell phones during the school day.

• West Central District 235: Cell phones are required to be kept in cars or lockers during the day. Violators face penalties similar to Knoxville’s. The district also reserves the right to investigate phones if the student is suspected of using a phone to text, call, take pictures or video on school property, said West Central High School Principal Phillip Geiser. If a student disables a phone to prevent investigation — for example by pulling the battery out of a phone and throwing it away—the student will be charged with insubordination, and suspended from school.

• Williamsfield District 210: Students are not allowed to use or possess phones from the first bell to final bell. The district has what assistant high school principal Patrick Hise calls “a middle of the road policy,” in regards to penalties. He said students receive a warning for a first-time offense. After that, the school confiscates phones, requiring a student’s parents to pick up the devices from the office. While developing their policy, Hise said, Williamsfield found some Illinois schools that required parents to pick up phones after the first offense, while other districts permitted students to use phones in between classes.

• Costa Catholic Academy and Galesburg Christian School: Phones must be turned off and kept in lockers during school hours.

• Bushnell-Prairie City District 170 and Spoon River Valley District 4: No cell phones during school hours. Students are required to keep them in their lockers or cars.

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